rochey

Does anyone know what canberra is like to live, work, rest and play?

quoll

Yup. Anything in particular?

It's a pretty good place if you have a job and a decent income. Education is not bad, homes are OK but on the expensive side for what they are, facilities are superb, it is a city within the bush really and you can see the bush from anywhere in town. It is a planned city and very new and home to all the national buildings which bores some people but it is actually quite impressive.

If you are hard up it can be hard to find accommodation and, all depending on your skill set, jobs are not as easy to find as they were even in the reasonably recent past.

It's very much a two income family town - possibly because of the type of people who live here and also because it is an expensive place to live in - so less community feel than, say, a large country town. Meanwhile, none of the dinginess of the big cities.

You could do much worse.

rochey

please let me know what you think! How long have you been there? What is it like for a family? Was initially going to qld but the job has fallen through so been looking elsewhere, just wanted some general info anout what its like?

thanks x

quoll

http://www.liveincanberra.com.au/
www.allhomes.com.au

Will get you on the right track.

BTW Canberra bashing is a national sport so dont be surprised by those that dont like it.

paulry

Been looking this morning for temporary budget accommodation in Canberra for periods between mid December and mid January. I know, it's not the best time to be arriving in Canberra but we are looking at enrolling our sons in Schools before the Christmas holidays. We want to make the transition as smooth for them as possible so want to avoid them starting a day or two into the school year. So far the accommodation it either unavailable or very expensive.

rochey

thank you for the links...... we did google rentals in canberra, they do look expensive but it may be an option for a starting place to see if we like it! What are the schools like? our daughter is almost 6! I am a nurse in mental health so hoping there will be jobs available? My partner is jack of all trades but he is 50? What other jobs are available for him in canberra? He is painter and decorater by trade, also has done electrics and care work.

rochey

do you have visa's then? good luck with finding something!

paulry

Not yet but I'm expecting it very soon

quoll

Oooo, not a good time! Is there any chance you can change that. There is always a monster demand around that time because you have the new influx of students, public servants and military for permanent accommodation and tourists for the holiday accommodation. I really dont know what to suggest to get around that, other than keep trying! Also watch out for the SummerNats which is usually that first weekend in Jan - bound to be booked out then with all the rev heads and car afficionados especially in the inner north/civic area.

I wouldnt worry about the kids missing a few days of school, really. I guess it all depends on whether you want to go government or private - if private then they dont care where you live as long as you pay the fees and if government the local school is always obliged to find a place for them if they live in the priority enrolment area. They dont get anxious until census time which is usually around 14 - 17 February time as that is the date they get resourced on. But from your point of view, that isnt an issue because they will have to find a place for a local kid. They do like a permanent address though and not a motel - especially if it is a school in high demand.

quoll

Mental health nursing should be OK I would think - there seems to be quite an itinerant population and we do have some community mental health teams and a couple of psych wards of varying degrees of security - follow links to employment on http://www.health.act.gov.au/c/health.

Your DH may need licences for his work - especially electrics and possibly painting but there seems to be quite a bit around if he wants to set up his own business to help the poor renovators (like us!!!) or there are places like Tradeworks and Glendennings etc that subcontract out but licences would be important. The Wednesday and Saturday Canberra Times are the best for jobs and there appear to be still quite a few around but bear in mind that many folk around here are thinking of retiring at 50 and in some cases that can be a disadvantage because a man with experience will cost more than a new young chum. I dont know how that impacts on the trades but it does in other areas. Care work, he would probably need some sort of certification but if he has a bit of experience that may do instead - the local men's homelessness refuge for example is often looking for casual contractors but increasingly they are requiring certs in something or other.

Schools are much of a muchness although there are a few to avoid, more because of the social make up of the suburb than anything else - personally I dont much like any of them in the Tuggeranong Valley because they are all open space with maybe 4 classes in a teaching area with half walls or no walls. Many Tugg parents send their kids up the Valley into the Woden Weston area for school but of course the kids will still be fine, the teachers are still good in Tugg even if the learning environment isnt, necessarily.

There are other suburbs which are generally better avoided as well - Charnwood and Narrabundah are two that spring to mind instantly but wherever you go you need to look at the neighbours!

There is a parallel private Catholic system and close to 50% of kids go private in ACT so there is a bit of choice.

paulry

Thanks Quoll, Given the costs and availability of accomodation, it's looking like the best course of action might be base ourselves south of Sydney (with my wifes's sisters) and minimise our initial time in Canberra - maybe spend just one or two overnights there. If the worst comes to the worst we can always take day trips to get those two important things sorted - rental accommodation and schools. Not looking forward to sorting out the former because it seems like it's a bit of a survival of the fittest scramble to arrange a decent one. Increasingly wondering lately if I really want to do this.

quoll

Have you tried Stayz? Not that much there unfortunately.

My workmate just spent the weekend trying to find a rental for her daughter and was prepared to pay up to 12 months in advance and was most unimpressed. I am sure you will find something but be prepared to work hard to find it!

copa

Current nursing jobs in Canberra..
http://acthealthaus.recruitmax.com/M...hType=Advanced

paulry

I hadn't seen Stayz, thanks. Cockatoo House looked promising but it doesn't have the availability in December.

lucierainbow

Hi there. My mum and dad live in Canberra. I agree with everything Quoll has said. I looked very briefly at accomodation the other day. My mum said that Queanbeyan might be a better place for us as the rental rates are a little cheaper. Its north of Canberra in NSW...i think. 30 mins from Canberra CBD???? Quoll will correct me if im wrong.
Lucie